Thread-cutter.



No. 733,318; 7 PATENTED JULY 7, 1903. D. FLAGG.

THREAD CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

Mn" I" r lung 5% UNITED STATES Patented July '7, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID FLAGG, OF GRAYLING, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO A. B.FAILING, OF GRAYLING, MICHIGAN.

THREAD-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,318, dated July '7;1903.

Application filed April 6,1903. Serial No. 151,342. (No model.)

To [tZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID FLAGG, residing at Grayling, in the county ofCrawford and State of Michigan, have invented a new and ImprovedThread-Cutter, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of twine or threadcutting devices in which the cutting or severing means forms a part ofor is attached to a finger-ring and which are designed for use byclerks, store-keepers, &c.,for convenientlyseveringtwine or threadswithout breaking the same or cutting same with a knife or shears.

My invention generically oomprehends a specially-constructed cuttingattachment in the nature of a head or cap piece adapted to be readilyattached to any hand-ring, fiat or oval in cross-section, and in whichthe cutting devices are so located and arranged as to permit of usingthe ring with the attachment on any finger and without danger ofcutting, scratching, or catching in light fabrics or cloth in theordinary manipulation of hand having the thread cutting ring thereon.

In its more complete nature myinvention embodies a cutting-bladecarrying a head or block constructed to hold the blade at right anglesto the ring and in a vertical plane and having means for adjustablysupporting the blade, guard portions for preventing the blade fromcutting the hand or catching in fabrics, and extensions which serve as ahousing for the blade, and in its still more subordinate features itincludes certain details of construction hereinafter fully described,and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view illustratingthe manner in which my invention is used. Fig. 2 is a perspective viewof the ring with the cutting attachment rigidly connected thereto. Fig.3 is a cross-section taken on the line 8 3 of Fig. 6. Fig. 4 is asimilar view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the head or cap member separated from the ring. Fig. 6 is ahorizontal section of the same on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is across-section of the throat or guide Fig. 8 is a detail view of theexternal surface of the ring 13, which is preferably the usualband-ring, whereby the said cap .can be conveniently and securely madefast to the ring by brazing or in any other well-known manner in thejewelers art. In plan view the cap is heart-shaped for two reasonsfirst,it provides an ornamental finish for the ring, and, secondly, itprovides for a recess or groove 1 in the front edge of the head, thepurpose of which will presently appear. The rear end of the head is cutout to form a guide or throat way X for the threads during the act ofbringing the same to the cutter, and the top portion of the said head isof greater length than the width of the band-ring, whereby to extendbeyond the edge of the said ring (see Fig. 3) and provide, as it were, aguide tongue or beak 4 to facilitate the proper slipping of the threadsagainst the shear or blade 3.

As is clearly shown in Fig. 2, the base portion of the cap is of thewidth of the band, and the upper surface of the said base is beveledupwardly from the edge 00 of the ring to the throat 00 of the cap,whereby to present a smooth guideway forleading the thread as it ispassed over the fi nger toward the cutter-blade. The head 1 has alongitudinally-extending slot 5, that passes through the base 1 the fulllength thereof and extends high enough to form a groove 4' in the underside of the tongue 4,whicl1 groove, however, does not extend to theextreme outer end of the said tongue, whereby to form a stop-shoulderwhich is provided to limit the outward adjustment of the blade 3 and toprevent its slipping through during the operation of adjusting the same,and the upper edge of the said blade is held within the grooves 4 and isbraced thereby, while its lower rear end 3 extends down flush with thebottom of the base portion 1. The blade 3 consists of a fiat steel platehaving a beveled or shear edge 3, disposed at an angle of aboutfortyfive degrees to the base. In the practical application of myinvention the plate is shoved into the slot in the head 1 from the frontend and moves rearward to its limit-t'. 2., until its front upper edgeengages the stop et and when thus positioned it is securely held by aclamp-screw 6, entered at one side of the head, as shown. The blade 3 isof such size relatively to the head that when it is inserted with itscutter end pushed out to the limit its heel or vertical portion will lieflush with the crotch or base of the groove 1, such correlation of partsbeing provided to admit of moving the plate back to change its cuttingor shear edge as the same becomes worn and allow for pulling out therear edge of the said bladewithout projecting the said edge in a planebeyond the front face of the head.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, it is believed the advantages of my inventionwill be readily understood.

I am aware that ring cutters have heretofore been employed in which isinclosed a cutter-holder exteriorly of the ring-band.

My invention diiferentiate's, so far as I know, in the peculiarconstruction ofthe head, as hereinbefore described, particularly theshape thereof, whereby the device has the appearance of an ordinaryband-ring with an ornamental cap thereon; the heart-shaped or crotchededge of the cap, which permits of drawing the blade for adjusting itwithout projecting the rear edge in such manner that it will cut or hangupon fabrics in the ordinary movement of the hand; the stop for limitingthe thrust-blade through the slot in which it is held; the bevel of thebase portion of the cap, which cooperates with the shear edge of theblade in such a manner that the said blade can be quickly adjusted tochange the cutting-point without altering the relative angles of theguide-surface and that of the shear edge of the blade. Furthermore, myconstruction of threadcutting device presents, as it were, a new articleof manufacture complete in itself and capable of being attached to anyordinary band-ring in the usual manner of attaching ornaments or settingto rings.

Having thus described myinvention, What I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. A thread-cutting attachment for rings, comprising a body having abase shaped to fit a ring, a throat at one side, a central slotextending from the front to the rear and through the bottom of the baseportion, the bottom of said throat being beveled downwardly, a bladeslidable in the slot, said blade having a shear edge inclined at anacute angle to the beveled face of the throat, the upper part of thethroat terminating in an outwardly-projecting tongue, said tongue havinga groove in the under side to receive the upper edge of the blade andmeans for clamping the blade in the slot, as set forth.

2. A thread-cutting device adapted to be attached to a finger-ringcomprising a body having a base portion formed to fit on the ring, avertical groove in one end thereof, said body having a slot extendingtherethrough from the vertical groove to the opposite end and providedwith a horizontal throatway in the said opposite end, the base of whichinclines downwardly and whose upper portion extends outwardly to form aguide-tongue, said tongue having a groove in its lower face thatterminates in a stop-shoulder and a blade slidable within the slothaving a shear edge beveled at an acute angle to the incline lower faceof the throatway, the upper edge of the said blade fitting the groove inthe under side of the tongue and adapted to abut the shoulder therein,and means for clamping the blade to its adjusted position, as set forth.

A thread-cutting appliance comprising a ring and cap-piece fixedlymounted thereon consisting of a solid body of a heart shape in top planwhereby to form a vertical groove in one end, a horizontal throatway inthe opposite end, the base of which inclines downwardly and outwardly,the upper part of the body being extended horizontally beyond the baseto form a guide-tongue, said body having a vertical slot which extendstransversely of the ring from the crotch on. the vertical groove in oneend thereof, a groove in the bottom of the guide-tongue in alinementwith the said slot and terminating in a stop-shoulder, a bladeadjustably and removably held within the said slot, said blade having ashear face inclined at an acute angle to the lower face of the throatand a clamp-screw for holding the blade to its adjustable position.

DAVID FLAGG.

Witnesses:

O. PALMER, H. C. HOLE-BOOK.

